Memphis, TN
  next stop to thedown Greenwood, MS  City of New Orleans   Newbern-Dyersburg, TN next stop to theup 
Home<Amtrak<Memphis, TN

Memphis Central Station was built in 1914 by the Illinois Central Railroad and has always received service from one daily Amtrak train, the City of New Orleans running between Chicago and New Orleans. This named train originally ran a daytime 15-hour schedule which Amtrak continued for it's first six months, when it became a night train in November 1971 when it was renamed the Panama Limited (the historical name of the overnight train) until 1981 when Amtrak renamed the train (still running on its current overnight schedule) back to the City of New Orleans for marketing purposes. Today it is where the City of New Orleans is re-fueled with a fuel truck driving right up alongside the train.

The current station was renovated between 1998-1999 into a multi-use facility with apartments and commercial space. The exterior of the station has a grand facade directly along the street with marble columns holding up the first two stories. Central Station is etched into the facade. A tower (now with apartments) of brick protrudes up a further 5 stories above). The former grand waiting room is now a ballroom for private parties called Hudson Hall. From the street passengers now enter through two sets of doors that say Amtrak along them. This leads up to a central landing. Here historic neon signs direct passengers to the upper concourse for tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6 and lower concourse for tracks 7,8,9,10. To reach the Amtrak waiting area passengers go up to a smaller former headhouse that has been renovated into the Amtrak station area. The waiting room has a few historic wooden benches, the ticket office, and a crew office.

Passengers head out to the platform by way of a parking lot, built on the former location of stub tracks (from the south) 1 through 5 and the platforms built for them. Iron blocks that were clearly once bumper blocks make it clear the parking lot is built on former train tracks. This parking lot has 100 parking spaces that Amtrak.com lists as all short-term. Trains stop at a long and mostly covered by a high canopy low-level platform that runs along the length of the parking lot, cabs drop passengers off directly along it. It has a pink tactile warning strip, wheelchair lift enclosure and an Amtrak information kiosk with schedules. This information panel is the only place with a platform sign.

Additional renovations and commercial expansion are currently beginning around the station area. This has resulted in the closing of the main pedestrian Amtrak entrance from Main Street effective January 1, 2016 (I visited on December 31, 2016); requiring all passengers to access the station through the parking lot. The parking lot driveway entrance is beyond the southern end of the platform (in the opposite direction of downtown, and lacks a sidewalk and other passenger amenities) all access is from Main Street, just north of the underpass of Carolina Avenue.
All Photos Taken on 31 December, 2016

Page 1|Page 2
memphis1
Stepping off the City of New Orleans into dawn
memphis2
A fuel truck is there
memphis3
The Quick Fuel truck that refuels the City of New Orleans P42
memphis4
P42 #67 is refueled
memphis5
P42 #67
memphis6
P42 #67
memphis7
memphis8
memphis9
Coach passengers get on and off the train, there is also a truck from Iowa Pacific
memphis10
The coaches also get the platform canopy
memphis11
The platform has gotten a wheelchair lift enclosure in case single-level cars are ever at the stop
memphis12
memphis13
Superliner Coach-Baggage #31002 is the rear car, with baggage service done directly on the platform
memphis14
The station beyond the end of the train
memphis15
No smoking on the platform?
memphis16
The Amtrak information panel for Memphis and only sign on the platform
memphis17
The entrance to the station house
memphis18
The departure board in the station house
memphis19
Another view inside the station house
memphis20
Benches and the ticket office
Page 1|Page 2
Home<Amtrak<Memphis, TN
Amtrak

Last Updated: 12 January, 2017
This website is not affiliated with Amtrak, their official website is here, A source I have used countless times while compiling this section is Amtrak's Great American Stations
This Website is maintained and copyright © 2006--2024, Jeremiah Cox. Please do not remote link images or copy them from this website without permission. Contact the webmaster